1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to golf clubs and is directed more particularly to a wood-type golf club head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to be beneficial to provide on the sole portion of drivers and fairway metalwoods strut members which extend from the bottom of the club and are elongated and disposed generally normal to the impact face of the club. The strut members reduce the drag experienced by the club head as it moves on or adjacent to the playing surface in approaching the ball. Typically, such struts are attached to the club by way of forming part of a plate which is attached, as by screws, to the sole of the club.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,068,011, issued Dec. 11, 1962 to Naojiro Sano, illustrates such prior art practices. In Sano, a plate having two or three fingers extending from a common bar portion is screwed onto the bottom of a club head such that the bar portion is disposed adjacent the impact face of the club head and the fingers extend rearwardly therefrom, forming front-to-rear struts.
The addition of metal plates, and the like, to the sole portion of drivers tends to exacerbate the already prevalent problem of the center of gravity for such clubs being disposed low in the club, removed from the geometric center of the club.
Golf clubs are designed with varying degrees of loft, ranging from a minimum of about 8 degrees for a number 1 wood to a maximum of about 27 degrees for a wedge type club. The different degrees of loft help to control the trajectory and distance a golf ball is hit. The lower lofted clubs are used for hitting a ball long distances, with the least amount of trajectory. The higher lofted clubs are preferred for hitting the ball shorter distances with a higher trajectory. A problem with existing clubs is that it is often difficult to obtain adequate lift in the lower lofted clubs, while in the higher lofted clubs, offshoot is a problem.
Another problem with existing clubs is that they are often not suitable for imperfect lies, particularly when the sole of the club head has a smooth or flat surface.
It is beneficial to the golfer to have available a driver, or fairway wood-type club, provided with struts on the sole of the club as an integral part of the club, the club being designed in such a manner as to permit location of the center of gravity nearer the geometric center of the club.
It is also beneficial to have available a set of golf clubs in which the center of gravity can be placed at the optimum location for each club in the set.